TY - JOUR
T1 - Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms
T2 - Toward an Alternative Paradigm for Diagnosis and Treatment
AU - Ballas, Christos A.
AU - Staab, Jeffrey P.
PY - 2003/12
Y1 - 2003/12
N2 - The treatment of patients with unexplained medical symptoms is difficult because there is neither a clear etiology for the symptoms, nor a useful paradigm with which to understand and treat them. Patients with such symptoms are often referred to psychiatry with vague diagnoses of “somatization” or “hypochondriasis.” Rather than considering somatoform diagnoses based on the number or diversity of physical symptoms, evolving research suggests an emphasis on the type of physical symptom as an indicator of Axis I pathology. This article links specific symptomatic complaints, such as chronic pain, chest pain, and dizziness, to the respective Axis I disorders associated with them, such as depression, panic disorder, and anxiety disorders.
AB - The treatment of patients with unexplained medical symptoms is difficult because there is neither a clear etiology for the symptoms, nor a useful paradigm with which to understand and treat them. Patients with such symptoms are often referred to psychiatry with vague diagnoses of “somatization” or “hypochondriasis.” Rather than considering somatoform diagnoses based on the number or diversity of physical symptoms, evolving research suggests an emphasis on the type of physical symptom as an indicator of Axis I pathology. This article links specific symptomatic complaints, such as chronic pain, chest pain, and dizziness, to the respective Axis I disorders associated with them, such as depression, panic disorder, and anxiety disorders.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1642460951&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=1642460951&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S1092852900008245
DO - 10.1017/S1092852900008245
M3 - Article
C2 - 14978460
AN - SCOPUS:1642460951
SN - 1092-8529
VL - 8
SP - 20
EP - 26
JO - CNS Spectrums
JF - CNS Spectrums
IS - S3
ER -